Our Process

The Secure Plan Process.

The only way we can truly help you is by fully committing to understand your situation which allows us to put ourselves in your shoes. Once we understand the situation from your perspective, we can take our knowledge and give you tailored advice based on your needs and wants.

Our process is structured around a consultative approach to help you better understand all of your options when it comes to insurance. This approach allows you to make an educated decision on the insurance plan that you feel is most important to you and your family.

During this assessment, it would be helpful for you to have readily available details on the following:

Group Insurance

Individual Insurance

Mortgage and/or Creditor Insurance

Current and past health history

Past two years of financials (both personal and business)

Having this information during the needs assessment will help us ensure that all the advice we are giving to you is based on facts rather than assumptions. As your advisor, we will take the time to ensure that you understand how your current coverage works to make sure it fits into your insurance plan.

Once the needs assessment has been completed, we will share with you what types of insurance coverage matches your current situation. Very rarely does a client need only one type of coverage today. It makes sense to take care of the now while having a plan in place that can take care of future needs as your situation evolves.

Our plans will also point out which types of coverage will be needed in the future illustrating how your current policies can change to meet that future need.

This is done behind the scenes once we know which types of insurance makes the most sense for you. There are many different products, each offering their own unique advantages in the market. We compare these different products to identify which insurance carrier will offer you the most value for your hard earned dollar.

Being a brokerage, we have the ability to shop the market in order to find you the best insurance plan for your situation. Past health history, financials or individual concerns could all be factors leading up to why one carrier in particular may be optimally suited for your situation.

Now that we have an in depth understanding of what you are looking for and which carriers would be best suited to you, it’s time to sit down together to review the plan and make final decisions. Our approach is to allow you to choose from different levels of coverage based on your needs, wants and budget for each type of solution.

With our guidance, you can choose how to best allocate your dollars towards the insurance plan.

Majority of the time, it is your health that purchases the insurance. Typically, it’s too late to purchase adequate coverage once you know you need it. It’s like trying to buy collision coverage after the car accident already happened. We will work with you to create realistic expectations on what the decision would most likely look like. The underwriting process can take up to three months, sometimes longer. Qualifying applicants do have the option to be covered during the underwriting process.

The underwriter evaluates information and resources to determine how and if you qualify for coverage. Some of these resources include:

Policy Application

Integral document for the underwriting process as it will be attached and incorporated into the insurance contract. As an advisor, we take special care with its accuracy as it is in the best interest of the client and the insurance company.

Telephone Interview – Personal History Interview

It is an important part of the application process and is a standard component of the underwriting process. It is conducted by a trained interviewer and usually takes between 15-30 minutes. Questions will relate to personal, financial and medical aspects of the application.

Medical History and Examinations

These may be required and are based upon the type of insurance client is applying for.Medical tests can include:

Collection of blood and urine

Vitals

EKG

Stress EKG

Inspection Reports/Questionnaires

There is sometimes supplemental information that may be required for insurance applications. Inspection reports are usually only required for larger cases are completed on an as needed bases. Questionnaires may be required to when underwriting requires further information on avocation, drug/alcohol usage, medical issue-ex-back pain, recreational activities, travel history.

Motor Vehicle Report – Drivers Abstract

A driver abstract contains information from numerous sources concerning an individual’s driving history and it sometimes required by insurance company. A client with a number of violations increases so does the likelihood of accident or disability. If applicant has a poor driving records, this may not represent a standard risk.

Medical Insurance Bureau (MIB)

The MIB maintains an extensive database of medical information and occupational risks on clients for life and living benefits insurance. MIB data is reported by member companies in code form so as to preserve the confidentiality of the files contents. The database contains no details about the client. Underwriters use the MIB to compare its file against the information contained in the application of the client.

Insurance Advisor

The most essential part of the process for the advisor is to ensure accurate, thoroughness and honesty when completing the application. We take pride to ensure that all responses are recorded with exactness and totality. Accurate applications help expedite the insurance process and provide the underwriting department with an informed understanding of the client.

In some cases, you would be required to complete a blood sample and/or urine test. Here are some tips to help you get the best results:

Try to arrange for the medical first thing in the morning.

Get a good night’s rest the night before the exam (especially for hypertension).

Refrain from any heavy exercise for 24 hours before the exam. It can increase the protein in your urine.

Do not consume any form of alcohol for at least 48 hours before the exam.

If possible, fast 12 hours before the blood profile.

Do not consume any form of caffeine, food or beverage (except water), for at least 2 hours before the exam. This could increase your blood pressure.

You should not smoke for at least 2 hours before the exam. This can increase blood pressure.

If you are taking prescription medication(s), you should continue to take them as prescribed. All prescription medications should be brought to the exam for reference.

You should avoid any non-prescription medications such as cold remedies, pain relievers, and herbal remedies for at least 24 hours prior to the exam. They can increase your blood pressure.

Try to drink 2 glasses of water 1-2 hours before the exam. You need to be well hydrated for kidney function.

If you are ill at the time of the exam, reschedule for a future date when you are fully recovered.

Contact us if you are under a lot of stress around the time when the exam is scheduled. Life stresses such as a death in the family, work stresses, family upset, etc. can affect your results. Even if it is the day of the medical exam, reschedule the appointment for a later date.

Your cooperation will make the examination process more effective for the insurance company, create fewer problems for your application, and help expedite the process.

Once we have an offer from underwriting, we will meet once again to go over the finer details of the policy to ensure you understand how it works. At this time you will need to accept or reject the offer. Typically, you would only reject the offer if you do not feel a good offer was made. Even if that was the case, we would usually recommend taking the standing offer while we go back to the market to see if a better offer could be given from another carrier.

Here are some of types of offers you would see:

Standard – approved exactly you applied for.

Rated – approved, but at an additional cost due to increased risk

Exclusions – approved with a specified exclusion based on past medical history

Modified – approved, but maybe with a different product or plan design

Declined – Not approved, any deposit will be returned and coverage cannot be taken.

We strongly encourage that we meet on an annual basis. This will allow us to make any necessary adjustments to your insurance plan as your needs may change over time. We will keep you updated on key dates that we looked at when setting up the plan to take advantage of what the policy can offer you in the future.

We will also remind you how your current coverage works allowing you to decide if the coverage itself still makes sense based on your new situation.